Celtic legend Chris Sutton believes that there’s no way that Neil Lennon can put his faith in Ivorian striker Vakoun Issouf Bayo.
Bayo has made nine appearances this season in total. However, only two of them have been starts, with just one goal to his name this term too. He’s been a regular sub under Neil Lennon when things are getting desperate, and has also occasionally been chosen ahead of Leigh Griffiths to change games.
So far, Bayo has shown in flashes what he could be capable of. He has a real physical and aerial threat, but he’s yet to come close to scoring with his feet.
And Sutton, who spoke in the Daily Record about all three of Celtic’s strikers, stated that there was “no way” Lenny could put much trust in Bayo.
“It’s a tricky one with Vakoun Issouf Bayo as well. He looks like the kind of player who could score a goal of the season contender one minute and then produce a miss of the season the next.
“He’s still very raw and very much a work in progress. There’s no way he’s at the stage where Lennon can hang his hat on him in a big game.
“It’s an area Celtic could need to address when the transfer window opens in January, and that is even when completely discounting the possibility of selling Edouard.”
Bayo hasn’t been given enough chances
Granted, Bayo has played nine times this season. However, in several of them, Celtic were desperate for goals and threw him on just because he was a forward player.
It’s a bit unfair to judge the big striker just yet. He’s shown some great movement and ball-control since arriving at the club. Sure, he’s obviously a work in progress, but Lennon has proven that he’s happy to toss him on when Celtic need him.
It’s unfair to have any sort of pop at him at this stage of his career. Sutton speaks about him looking like being capable of a miss of the season. So far, Bayo hasn’t had any glaring misses to speak of.
In fairness, he also hasn’t had anything like a goal of the season contender either. Bayo’s all about being a physical threat in the box and scoring from scrappy cross-balls. Where Sutton is getting this kind of imagery is questionable.
Bayo has shown enough to suggest that he’ll be a real handful in Scotland. It’s now all about how Lenny uses him this season, and it most likely looks as though he’ll be a regular sub when necessary.
But Bayo deserves more backing than Sutton has offered here. He’s just a player who needs games, and his potential is undoubted.
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